Mimi Cave’s horror thriller Fresh is about a young woman looking for Mr. Right that is all kinds of wrongs!
I was expecting a cute meet-cute rom-com when I saw the delectable Sebastian Stan in the poster at Sundance 2022. Instead, Mimi Cave took me on a wild ride that gave new meaning to the title of the film.
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Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) has given up on dating because it SUCKS and somehow meets cute Steve (Sebastian Stan) a plastic surgeon that ‘gets her’ with them both being orphans. As they get to know each other he charms her with his dark humor, wit, and winsome smile … did I mention he’s a doctor???? Her BFF Mollie (Jojo T. Gibbs) tells her he sounds too good to be true and gives her a warning that a romantic getaway is a bad idea. But Noa is a grown woman so will do what she wants but promises to check in with Mollie.
I realized something was off when the opening credits start and Noa woke up chained with no safe word. This is when I realized I’ve stumbled into a true-crime movie and not the whimsical rom-com I thought!
I don’t want to spoil Fresh but it’s an onion that keeps revealing new horrifying secrets that had me on the edge of my seat. Lauryn Kahn wrote a script that had the devil in the details enough background of every character that built on each other like Tetris with every reveal pulling out a piece causing the tower to almost fall. Lauryn and Cave are a great duo that intertwines the visual with the writing for a horror film that was scary as heck. No spoiler but this is a great horror movie with women characters that have an internal monologue as they try to survive. It’s not a ‘last girl’ horror movie but instead, it’s more of a thriller with death.
Spoiler …
Stan plays Steve with such darkness that I was impressed. He at first gave off all the dream romcom guy quirks that I love. A little geeky, approachable, nice, and good-looking but doesn’t know it. As the film progresses and he slips off his friendly puppy dog it was interesting that he kept some of the quirks but somehow made them horrifying. I can’t help but wonder if he studies any serial killers or murders for the role.
Daisy as Noa starts off unsure but all of a sudden she finds her survival instinct and she blossoms as she chooses to fight for her life or was it revenge??
Jojo plays Mollie the BFF we all need that not only gives good advice from her I don’t F with men so was able to give advice that her spidey sense was tingling. I loved how she figured out something was wrong and started to unravel how much danger Noa was in.
All of these pieces were able to shine because of the writing and directing of Fresh. It kept being built more and more less like an onion and more of paint layered on canvas. It had just a few sets but what they did to build tension as we learned how Steve found his conquests and what the banter was really about. They were adept with using music to build the mood, the set design leaving an ‘openness’ that was another lie. I watched it twice and thought about the film since I have a weakness for true crime.
I found the chaos of the final twenty minutes totally fit with how anyone would react if kidnapped and faced with the unimaginable. I really liked how the fight was choreographed and it even had a scene that was in homage to Get Out.
What did you think of this horror movie twist? What would you do if you were Noa or Mollie or Steve in Fresh? Do you think you’d survive? Leave a comment about what you think of Fresh.
Venue: Sundance Film Festival (Midnight)
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Production Company: Legendary Entertainment, Hyperobject Industries
Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jojo T. Gibbs, Charlotte Le Bon, Andrea Bang, Dayo Okeniyi
Director: Mimi Cave
Screenwriter: Lauryn Kahn
Producers: Adam McKay, Kevin Messick, Maeve Cullinane
Executive producers: Lauryn Kahn, Ron Mcleod
Cinematographer: Pawel Pogorzelski
Production designer: Jennifer Morden
Editor: Martin Pensa
Music: Alex Somers
Rated R, 1 hour 54 minutes
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